Chapter 29

"This is the most delicious soup I've ever tasted in my life," I exclaimed as I spooned the soup and slurped it down. Mmh, so good.

"My mother taught me how to cook at a young age, and she used to have me watch her prepare for us," Carter explains.

"Carter, that's so impressive. She must be planning on getting you ready, so you'll be able to stand on your own when you're alone." I said out of respect for his mother, whom I have never met.

"Yeah yeah, how do you feel now?" he asks, shifting the conversation's focus.

"I'm better, but still feel a little heavy." This chicken soup is such a great remedy for such strange sickness, and I am so grateful to have a friend like you..." I trailed off as I saw his expression turn bitter.

"A great friend, hm" he repeated, edgy voice. He's clearly annoyed, but I have got no choice for myself but to act dumb.

"Yeah, is there anything else I can call you by then? That's what we are, friends." I said, making his face frown.

"I do not know, maybe your cook, or your guardian," he says sarcastically, throwing a hand in the air, "Do you think being friends with you makes me happy?" he asks, in an almost angry hushed tone.

"Okay, I never said I wanted to be friends with you. You are the one who asked me at that festival when we were threatened by a pack of loaded gangs!" I spat the facts at him. Now he just speaks shit to me while I'm ill?

"I did not mean it like that, you are... fuck, why are we talking about this?" he asked in frustration.

"It doesn't matter, cool off. Let's just finish this episode then we—"

"I have got to go, this was a terrible idea anyway," he said standing up and making a move to the front door.

"Wait, what do you mean it was a terrible idea? Carter, can you a least accompany me today?"

He stopped walking for a second, and bunched up his fists, as if he was trying to hold himself back. "You, you are the terrible idea. I was wrong when I thought to give it a shot with you, I am so fucking dumb to even try to get close to you," he said, then in a blink of an eye, he is outside the door.

Carter's P.O.V.

I stormed out and crossed the street to my car, which I had parked far enough from her house so that I could swiftly slip out if her parents ever arrived. This is my least concern; I opened the door harder than I should have and slammed it shut.

I reacted in a rather childish way with her there, but it felt awful to say it out loud, and she just said it without hesitation, we are only friends. I tried to forget about her, but everything I do seems to be associated with her. When I eat, I think of how she loves noodles and pizza and the time I watched her eat it like it was such a precious thing, I think of how she hates running because of the time we escaped from the mall guard when I was training, and I even think of how she loves bunnies as I already bought her a fucking stuffed bunny. She is the only thing that occupies my mind these days.

All of my friends and sisters tell me that my actions show that I'm into her, but I keep on dismissing them and telling them that I will never like someone since I once did, it did not end well. This is getting progressively more messed up by the day; she always treated me as if I were just a friend and never saw me in any way, but she responded promptly to my kisses and I sensed her attraction to me perhaps I was simply imagining it, which is the puzzling thing. She keeps calling me a friend, but then she turns around and shows me something else, and I'm her puppy, doing whatever she wants.

"Fuck!" I shouted and hit on the steering wheel. Shit, it hurts. I lay my head on the headrest and blew a huge breath from my mouth, I should do something to get some of the weight on my head to ease on me, I am starting to feel guilty that I left her because of my emotions towards her. What a fucking baby.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket and dialed the number that I always keep on calling when I feel distressed.

"Hey kid, what are you up to?"

"How many fucking times did I tell you not to call me that? I am coming now, I need some meditation." I said, tugging the side of my lips.

"Finally, I thought you stopped it, and boy I was so pissed, I'm waiting for you."

~°~°~°~°~

"That was a good shot, but you can do better," Ben says folding his arms, "Let me see what you can do."

"What the fuck? I did it better than before, see? At red! I am a legend!" I said throwing the gun on the floor and hitting on my chest. Ben has a gun shooting training place around the sparsely populated place of the city, where bars and things that are illegal are stored. Whenever I feel like I am going to lose myself, I call Ben and come here with him to relieve my anger on the targets, and if needed, I enter the boxing ring at Tallelli and fight some drunk fuckers until we bleed each other.

"There is something wrong with you, this can't be anger and stress. Wanna talk 'bout it or wanna fight it out?"

"Fucking fight, I do not do talking."

"It's about that girl, eh? She is playing well inside your head?" he guessed, which is hundred percent right. I inclined my head an inch as a reply. I sniffed the liquid trying to escape my nose, then wiped it with my sleeve.

"I know this is unexpected, but yes, love bunny does not understand and does not want to know what I really want to do," I confessed. Ben looked at me with a questioning look, then asked, "Carter, you should be fucking with me, are you telling me that you might like her, or did you confirm it already?"

"I... I do not know." I said sighing. Angrily, I kicked the gun as far as I can, "She pissed me off. I need to relieve this shit, is there anyone I can fight with?"

"Loads are waiting for your graceful majesty," he said mockingly.

"Fuck yes." I said and followed Ben out of the gun shop and to the kickboxing area. As we walked in, masses of people are sitting and watching the fight that is going on. I looked closer, it was a hoodied person, his back facing me and another person who looks like he is about to fall and throw up, his hands are bunched up in front of him and he shouted, "I will kill you, boy!" then jumped on him. The other guy dodged him off then kneeled beside his face and started to punch his face numerous times, making three bulky men get in the ring and got ahold of his arms and pulled him from the guy who is coughing blood and as I said, throwing up.

The judge wearing a black and white striped shirt blew his whistle and shouted, "Troy wins again!"

What?

I froze. What the actual fuck? My eyes quickly followed the hoodied man and as he revealed his face, my eyes went wide, it is Troy himself.

"Ben, I want to fight this guy, he seems sober enough to fight with me," I said, my heart beating excitedly. I am going to kick and punch this guy until he has broken bones only. He is the one who tries to make love bunny away from me and tell her bullshit, so what problem would there be to show him who the real guy is tonight? None.

"Is there anyone who will be fighting this boy?" the judge shouts questioning everybody, but no one spoke. I scoffed and walked to the edge of the ring but felt Ben tugging at me, "Kid, he seems much stronger than you, ya sure?" he asks me worried.

"Fuck off, Ben. You are the one who told me that no one can defeat me except myself, so I will be fucking doing it." I snapped and continued my walk to the ring, "I will!" I yelled, making every head in this room snap to me. Troy stayed still then slowly faced me, his eyes widened in shock. Yes, Troy, this is fucking me and no one else. But in a swift moment, his shock turned to a smirk then gestured for me to get in, "What are you waiting for?" he asked, leaning at the corner.

I huffed then rolled inside the ring and stood up just in front of him, "Finally, I am going to kick your ass." I said smirking too.

"Don't brag much, Carter. Kate doesn't like people who boast about themselves," he says.

"Shut the fuck up, Troy. You do not know shit about her." I growled inching very close to him that our noses are slightly touching.

"Oh yeah? Then why would she agree to come to my house to... have our fun?" he asked chuckling lightly, "She is falling for me, Carter, for me."

"No, she is not. She does not even know you!" I growled.

"I warned you, but don't come at me when she tells you how good I fucked he—" before he finishes saying what he is about to say, I quickly grabbed him by his hoodie then threw him off the far end of the corner of the ring, "If you dare say one more shit about her, Troy!" I shouted and walked to him then grabbed him again, but he quickly held on to my wrist and pulled me to him then punched me straight to my nose, throwing me away from him. I staggered backward clutching my nose, how the fuck he is this fast?

"You are not the only one who can fight, you are as weak as the others too." he said coming to me with a dangerous smile, "I thought we could be fams, but you made it hard."

"I never said we could be," I said and threw my arms at him, but he caught it at the last second and twisted it. Fuck, he is stronger than I expected.

"Wrong move," he said then pushed me away with his leg, kicking me right on my stomach, where my wound is. I was thrown hard that I slid out of the ring and slammed hard on the wood floor. I am breathing harshly, feeling like my wound is about to burst open and stings like I was shot and stabbed at the same time repeatedly.

"What's up, Carter? Got you where I wanted?" Troy asked resting his arms on the string of the ring and smiling innocently down at me, "You don't have to fight me."

"Ugh," I groaned as I hear jumbled voices and screams at me. This wound is not letting me stand up, and I need to show this guy who he is fucking with. But he is already under the eyes of her, she could blame it on me if anything happened to him when he whines like a fucking child to her, then I would be the loser. No, I could not give any fucks if she disdains me for it. If I do not show him that he is doing something wrong with me, he will think I am giving him a free pass ticket to get her, which will never happen.

"Somebody bring him some water!" Troy shouts to the crowd, his eyes fixated on me, full of envy and anger but perfectly masked it with his smirk. That is why his wrath is causing him to take it out on those intoxicated people, so when he spotted me, he couldn't restrain himself. I, on the other hand, smirked and rose easily, forgetting about my wound because I have got a fight to finish.

"It is fine, I am good," I said as I entered the ring once again, my energy refilled by seeing his jealousy of love bunny and me. Fucking faker.

"The man is up!" Troy says and claps for me, "No need, you know love bunny does not like when being appreciated too much." I said, shrugging both my shoulders.

"The fuck you just say?" he growled, holding the collar of my shirt, "I said the truth, man. We always talk about ourselves, you know, she loves our talk." I said, and when I got the chance as he was thinking for the slightest second, I put my arms up and held his head, smashing it with my knees then picking him up with all my might and throwing him below me, jumping on him and choking him.

"You... stop... it's Kate... Carter..." he tried to form a sentence, his face turning to purple, yes fucker, die.

"What are you saying? I can not hear you, you said you want to take her from me? Think again because I will be coming to you and bash your head with anything I get!" I yelled at his face, but not long before people came and pulled me away from him, just as they did for him earlier. Does he think I can let go of what I want and need this easily?

"What is wrong with you, kid? You would've been in deep shit and trouble if he died!" Ben came up to me and whispered loudly to me.

"I did what I have done because I know this guy, this is the one who tries to steal love bunny from me, and I would do anything in the world to show him that he can not even try to scare me," I said breathing deeply then letting it out.

"Let's just leave, kid." he says and pushes me to the door, "Wait a fucking minute, I do not want to go anywhere! I want to drink and have my fun!" I said and patted on his shoulder, "I understand you think about me, but I am too pissed to just leave without having at least a dozen drinks." I said and went to the small bar at the very far corner and sat on one of the stools, "And who are you, little boy?" the barista asks me looking up and down at me, "What the fuck do you mean by a little boy? Give me a fucking drink for fuck's sake!" I snapped at her taking out my driving license and showing it to her, "Mhm, eighteen? Fair enough." she said shrugging and going to make my drink.

"I don't think this would be a good idea..." Ben says as he sits with me, ordering a drink for himself.

"Relax, this is what you always tell me, right? Relax and have fun sometimes, and I need it." I said as I take my phone out and lit it up. There is one unread message, my heart leaped as I opened it, it is from her.

6:33 I don't know why u stormed out, but take care :)

Love bunny... this, she sent this for me? I read it over again and again. She said she does not know why I got out, but still told me to take care. Fuck, these little things she tells me are the ones that slowly and one by one open my heart for her, and I should drown them out, even if only for one night.

"Here," the barista says sliding the drink, "What is it?" I asked forgetting to order what drink I would like to drink, "Cherry vodka." she answers and rolls her eyes, bitch. I held the glass high and quickly threw my head back and drank it all, it tastes sweet, making my insides buzz as it slid down my throat.

I need to slip her out of my mind, I need to forget about everything for just one night, "Another." I tell the same barista and she huffed, "So you will just waste yourself?" she asked in an annoyed tone, "That is none of your fucking business, now give me my drink." I snap at her.

My mother's face came to mind, telling me to behave and be a good person to the world, then her face, being the kind and the humble person she is, saying how doing good makes her feel good even if she does not receive the same, and Abigail's happy face dancing at her birthday party, she looks happy despite dad and his friends frowning at everything they see. Fuck them all, I need to forget about them and let my mind drift to anything else.

"Thanks," I said and threw my head back again, numbness overtaking me the more drinks I have.